There's nothing I hate more than over-complicated submissions guidelines, and when Schlock! began I wanted to keep them as simple as possible. As time's gone by, though, I've realised to my annoyance that there's a good reason to have a few rules, so here goes:

Editor's Note: Contrary to what you've read in all the writing manuals, we'd prefer it if you don't double space your work - particularly if you do this by pressing 'Return' at the end of each line. We will copy and paste your work (after any necessary editing) directly into the webpage, and if your manuscript is double-spaced, then this just means more work for us! And we're lazy.

1.Stories / articles / artwork relating to the themes of science fiction, fantasy and horror should be emailed as an attachment (.doc, .rtf .txt and .jpg formats) to editor@schlock.co.uk. Stories or articles should be no more than 7500 words long. (See table below).

2.We also accept serialisations of longer stories, but request that authors contact us beforehand to discuss the proposal. Please ensure that longer stories are fully written before you submit them; serials written on a weekly basis have a nasty habit of finishing abruptly, mid-tale, and we prefer to avoid this. We are also willing to accept serialised graphic novels.

3.Since Schlock! is not currently a profit-making webzine, we cannot offer payment, other than exposure (in other words, people get to read your work and you have a chance of developing a fanbase). However, writers and artists retain their rights to their work if accepted for publication (but see the paragraph on eBooks).

4.All submitted work will be archived when the next edition is published.

5.We also provide eBook editions of the webzine, which will be provided for free for five days on Amazon.com, and then for a nominal charge. By submitting work to Schlock! Webzine, you are giving us the rights to make your work available in eBook format. (This is a proviso made by Kindle if we are to provide the webzine free of charge). You are giving Schlock! Webzine first electronic publication rights, so we are the first to publish your story. We do not own your story: after it appears on Schlock! Webzine, you can sell it without our approval as long as you inform potential buyers that it has been published elsewhere. [PLEASE NOTE: Currently, editions are archived in PDF format available for free from a separate archive website].

6.Unless it is already stated, we will only accept work which you have not previously sold or whose rights you haven't given away. Please inform us if your work has been published elsewhere, either in print or on the web. All work must be your own copyright, containing no plagiarism. It is the author's responsibility to seek permission from the copyright holder of any quoted material if currently in copyright.

7.Please avoid simultaneous submissions. Also, please be patient when waiting for a response. We aim to reply within a couple of days, but sometimes this isn’t possible. However, if we don’t get back to you after a week, feel free to submit your work elsewhere.

8.Once accepted, stories will not be removed from the site without good reason, i.e. copyright violation or similar legal issues.

·We will edit your work as needed, but prefer it if it is adequately proofread beforehand. If you need help with this, we would advise the use of our proofreading / editorial service.